I love a good BBQ and when thinking of BBQ how can you not think of the the South? I went to Austin, Texas last summer and had my mind (and my arteries) a little blown with all of their incredible food. There were a plethora of food trucks serving up traditional Texas fare – ribs, brisket, sausages, coleslaw, potato salad – but the coolest trucks always put a spin on tradition.

When planning our backyard BBQ we wanted to make it a little different than usual so we used the South as our inspiration and then made a menu that included most of the traditional items like ribs, sausages and potato salad but then added some fun additions like Queso (for a Tex Mex vibe) and burgers. Because to me, a BBQ is not official without some good old fashioned burgers.

We headed to Sobeys and grabbed some of their Canadian Chuck Burgers because not only are they prepared fresh in-store every day, but because they’re delicious! Made with 100% Canadian AAA beef, the Canadian Chuck Burgers are created with our tastes in mind without added hormones or antibiotics.

I’m a toppings girl so when Sobeys sent over a bunch of custom burger topping recipes I couldn’t help myself but make them all.

Nude lips are back, or here to stay or arguably never left, but whatever the case may be, nude lips are it. And though a great nude lip is all the rage, I am the first to admit that finding the right shade is not as easy as one might think. No, this isn’t your mama’s nude. The thick brown liner that surrounds a stark white filling (that let’s be honest, looked good on no one) is a no go. Nope, now you’ve got to take the time to find the right shade because not all nudes are created equal….

But it’s still hard to find the right shade. I asked some of my friends what they’re fave nudes are and they each had a very unique response.

Check out our faves:

One of my favourite nudes is a combo of Honey Love from MAC and Nucleus from Nars. It has enough pink to not wash me out but also isn’t too dark.

Eva: I’ve been wearing C-Thru from MAC probably since I started wearing makeup. If I’m not wearing Ruby Woo this is my absolute go-to.

Winy: I’m literally obsessed with nude lipstick so picking my fave was a hard task. I like the combo of Nars in Isobella & Laura Mercier Sparkling because the matte from the Nars pencil gives me that creamy matte look while the gloss is the perfect addition for a nice nude sparkle on top.

Martina: Choosing a nude lipstick for me is simple. I stick to the beige tones because my lip pigment is on the darker side so it provides the perfect balance and coverage. The Laura Mercier nude shade, Milky Way, I chose is my absolute fave, literally the perfect beige nude for my lip tone!

Jennifer: My makeup MO is keep it simple and Stormy Sahara from Maybelline is just that. Nothing crazy just a great shade with good coverage that works with my skin accentuating my summer glow rather than washing me out.

What’s your favourite nude for your skin tone? There are just so many options it’s always nice to hear about different combos.

If you met me today you would never be able to guess that behind the dress I am (probably) wearing, is a tomboy who secretly and now not so secretly loves the idea of racing cars. This idea turned into a reality when Coco & Cowe was asked by Cadillac Canada to attend their driving academy at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and I got to go on their behalf.
At exactly 6:15 am a driver was at my door to pick me up in a beautiful Cadillac and informed me that the day would be more then I could imagine. This alone woke me up faster then the coffee I was drinking. Side note and interesting fact we all learned: driving hands on the wheel should be at 3 and 9, not 10 and 2.

What I dreamed of suddenly was in front of me in the form of a pristine racetrack that I came to learn was one of the hardest and best race tracks in North America.
Prior to getting on the actual track we were introduced to the experts who would teach us how to drive these amazing cars and I was ready.

Full disclosure: When I was finally in the drivers seat after having done a few laps with the experts driving and teaching us the course, I was SCARED. All my excitement and anticipation came down to this moment and I told my amazing instructor Danny that I was nervous. Danny was more than supportive and said, “let’s go, you can do this” and so, I did.

I did a few laps and with every lap I got more and more comfortable with the track. What I quickly learned was that my comfort came not because I knew the track, but because the car I was driving was proving that it was capable of speed, performance and stability even at race worthy speeds.

I used to think that Cadillac’s were grandfather cars but in the driver’s seat of the CTS-V I was quickly proven wrong. I have never been so comfortable going over 150km/hr and in the Cadillac CTS-V, I was more than comfortable, I felt safe. The engineers who built these cars had their work speak for itself when I hit 200km/hr with Daniel Bois by my side. The thrill was one thing, but the security and performance is what allowed me to push this car to my max.

That day my dream came true and there is no car I would have rather been in. I quickly learned the Cadillac’s are not grandfather cars like that I had assumed lol and that I now desperately want one. If you have any desire to feel what I felt, I encourage you to test drive one of these cars but do drive safely. These cars are have it all: luxury, quality and performance oh and they’re so cool!

We recently attended a cool session hosted by Vitamin Water called Think Drink Do where we got to pitch business ideas, discuss growth and expansion and personal branding. In one of the sessions a successful entrepreneur stated that she would, never again, work with someone she didn’t like. She had been burned in the past and as a result, never, would she ever, work with someone she couldn’t see inviting to her home to share a meal.

I thought this was an interesting proposition and brought it to the table at a recent C&C meeting. My first thought was unless you’re a massively successful business owner, how can you possibly control your colleagues? Yes, the comment was made to budding entrepreneurs and small business owners, like myself, but even I don’t have that luxury. Though I work very hard to control my environment and surround myself with like minded people, I can’t always control things like who comes on assignments, who I travel with and if the guy who prints all of my materials is the best in the biz but has a major attitude, I gotta deal.

After more discussion we also realized how much potential growth & actual learning comes from working with people who you don’t instantly align. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an impression of someone and then I’ve worked with them more closely and have discovered how much I actually like them. I’ve also learned many things about myself from tough work relationships like, what my limits are, how to set boundaries and am slowly learning how to say the ever difficult ‘no’.

So though at first blush, I would have agreed that I only want to work with people I love, working with friends can be equally challenging. The reality is working with anyone can be trying, it’s work!

In an effort to not look at these problems as unresolvable I’ve scoured the web and some business books I have handy and came up with some ways to help manage difficult relationships:

1. Focus on the positive, how does the person contribute to the team in a helpful way? Remind yourself of that every time you hear nails on a chalkboard instead of their voice as they talk.

2. Don’t take it personally. I know this can be super tricky but business is business and it’s not the place to hold petty grudges.

3. Rely on logic rather than emotion. By trying to see the whole picture rather than focusing on the minutia (like them cutting you off in the last meeting) you’re in a stronger position.

4. Avoid talking about them with other colleagues. Gossip sucks, no matter how true you think it may be and all it does is adds fuel to the potential burning fire between you and your nemesis….

5. Your opinions are subjective and it’s pretty unprofessional and childish to let those get in the way of your success. If your growth in your field depends on you being a team player and getting the job done, get it done.